5/10/09

As we headed up on Van Ness (our eight DC community) past UDC and towards International Court, we could sense the sweet smell of success. We knew that Mr. Wolfgang Renezeder had a welcoming party set up for us, but I just knew that in order to make this day a true complete success, we had to reach or touch all 27. Minutes before heading into Austria, I signaled to Neal that we should visit our neighbors in Slovakia first. We stood a better chance of making it inside

As we were running towards the embassy, we could see the lady at security starting to secure the doors. We waved at her to let us in. She looked surprised, perhaps worried, then at the last minute agreed to let us in. We were ushered into the back room and were in for quite a surprise ourselves.

The embassy staff were all expecting us and were waiting to get our picture taken with them. Ambassador of Slovakia, Peter Burian, welcomed us personally at the Embassy.

Mr. Michal Pavuk, First Secretary, presenting us with the Slovak Olympic Committee flag. Standing between Neal and me is Ambassador of Slovakia, Peter Burian.

Included with the flag is a gift that says "You never arrive tired if you know where you're heading." We certainly knew where we were heading, and we definitely didn't arrive tired.